New York, US (PANA) - The world is currently facing its worst refugee crisis since the Second World War, due to conflicts, persecutions and natural disasters intensified by climate change.

And tens of millions still living in their homes or displaced within their own countries are also in critical need of humanitarian services, according to a reports on the website of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

From 23-24 May, leaders and stakeholders from around the world meet in Istanbul, Turkey, for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit to chart a way forward to support all those impacted and build a more stable world.

To succeed, they will have to address the needs and protect the rights of affected women and girls, and incorporate their leadership and knowledge into all plans and responses. However, although progress has been made towards addressing the unique issues faced by women and girls, too often they remain overlooked in emergency settings.

In view of these developments, the UNFPA here unveils 10 things hitting women and girls in crises:

1. Of the more than 125 million people in need of humanitarian assistance worldwide, over 75 per cent are women and children.

2. In 2015, 61 per cent of maternal deaths occurred in 35 countries experiencing emergency situations. Their average maternal mortality ratio was on par with England’s between 1800 and 1850.

3. Approximately four times as many women as men died in the 2004 tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia.

4. Of the 10 countries with the highest rate of child marriage, 9 are fragile states.

5. Ninety per cent of early first births occur among child brides – and complications during childbirth is the second-leading cause of death among adolescent girls worldwide. This risk is compounded in crisis settings.

6. Globally, at least 35 per cent of women have suffered from gender-based violence. While data is limited, anecdotal reports from around the world – from Ecuador to Yemen – show that its prevalence sharply increases during emergencies.

7. Sexual violence against women is often deployed as a systematic tool of war. To date, at least 200,000 women have been sexually assaulted during the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

8. In disasters and humanitarian emergencies, women are more likely than men to suffer from food insecurity. Even though women produce more than half of the world’s food, they comprise 70 per cent of the world’s hungry.

9. Today, more than half of refugee women and girls live in cities, not in refugee camps.

10. The average time of displacement among the world’s 60 million refugees, half of whom are women and girls, has now reached 20 years.
-0- PANA VAO 23May2016